900507 booklet v5

900507 booklet v5_- 13.09.13 18:19 Seite 1
900507 booklet v5_- 13.09.13 18:19 Seite 2
HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING
13 O Little Town of Bethlehem
Arr.: Grayston Ives
3:07
14 Bimbo, bimbo, fai la nanna · Baby, Baby, Go to Sleep
Anonymus
2:45
2:26
15 Les anges dans nos campagnes · Angels we have Heard on High
Arr.: François-Auguste Gevaert
2:06
2:21
16 Sarabande from Partita in A minor, BWV 1013
Johann Sebastian Bach
3:23
2:08
17 Tochter Zion, freue dich · Rejoice Greatly, o Daughter of Zion
George Frideric Handel
2:22
2:20
18 A Hymn to the Virgin
Benjamin Britten
3:19
2:01
19 O Freude über Freude! · O, Joy Beyond Joy!
Arr.: Wolfram Buchenberg
7:36
2:55
20 Fantasia No. 11 in G major, TWV 40/12
Georg Philipp Telemann
3:54
3:12
3:50
Famous Christmas Carols
01 Es ist ein Ros entsprungen · Lo! How a Rose E’er Blooming
Michael Praetorius
02 Machet die Tore weit · Throw Wide the Gates
Albert Becker
03 Maria durch ein Dornwald ging · Mary Walked Through the Forest of Thornes
Arr.: Heinrich Kaminski
04 Adeste fideles
Arr.: Friedrich Silcher
05 O du fröhliche · O sanctissima (Christmas carol)
Arr.: Georg Ratzinger
06 Corrente from Partita in A minor, BWV 1013
Johann Sebastian Bach
07 Stille Nacht · Silent Night
Franz Gruber, Arr.: Hanns Mießner
3:14
08 Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier · I Stand Before Your Manger Here
Johann Sebastian Bach: Choral from the Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248
21 Ave maris stella
Edvard Grieg
1:15
09 „Still, still, still“ for mixed choir
Arr.: Jürgen Golle
22 Lux aurumque
Eric Whitacre
4:11
23 Es ist ein Ros entsprungen · Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
Arr.: Jan Sandström
4:37
2:55
24 Bell Ringing
0:44
4:24
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Florian Helgath conductor
François Leleux oboe
10 Es wird scho glei dumpa · It Soon Will Be Dark
Arr.: Friedemann Winklhofer
11
Fantasia No. 3 in B minor, TWV 40/4
Georg Philipp Telemann
12 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
2:22
Total time: 73:29
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HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING
Anyone not eager to spend the Christmas season in his or her own living
room, but rather go on a journey to other countries or even continents is sure
to run across the same phenomena even at faraway places: a holiday dinner
in pleasant company, the exchange of gifts, festive music in the background
or perhaps even a community sing. But certainly the guest will also experience a few surprises, because the Christmas customs are just as colourful as are the vast array of people who celebrate this holiday around the globe.
The ox and the ass who watch over the Christ Child in the manger worldwide, join forces with elephants and giraffes in Tanzania, and in the Andean
highlands, they share the crêche with a llama – against the background of the
Gospels, all these animals are equally exotic. And depending on the region,
there may be a turkey on the holiday table, or a goose, or, as in Ecuador, a
guinea pig, unless the people just take a picnic basket and head for the beach,
as they do in Australia. Wherever Christmas falls in midsummer, the Christmas candles face the danger of melting before anybody has a chance to light
them. When it gets really hot, then an open-air fireworks display is a good
alternative. The triumphal march of Santa Claus, who delivers the presents
on his sleigh, carries all the way down to the southern hemisphere. The
Christ Child or the Three Holy Kings, who traditionally handle the gift giving
chores in many places, have a hard time in this age of commercialization and
globalization competing with the white-whiskered guarantor of maximum
earnings.
Just as varied as the selection of crêche figures or the Christmas menu is
the music for this “festival of peace”. Here, too, lively local traditions stand
side by side with titles that have moved up to positions as international classics. Sung for the first time in 1818 in the little Austrian town of Oberndorf
near Salzburg, Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht (Silent Night, Holy Night) rapidly rose
to a become the ultimate Christmas carol and has even acquired the status of
part of the “Immaterial UNESCO Heritage”. More than the words, which have
been translated into over three hundred languages and dialects, it is certainly
the heartwarming melody that is accountable for the unprecedented popularity
of the song. It conveys throughout the world a touch of that tender mood Central Europeans so love at Christmastime. Sometimes it is not just a tune but a
complete polyphonic setting that has become a seasonal hit. Ich steh an deiner
Krippen hier (I Stand Before Your Manger here) from the famous ChristmasOratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach is an example that ranks as a must in any
collection. The prayerful stillness of the manger scene sets the mood for
many lullabies that pay homage to the Christ child with great piety, often considerable originality or even folkloristic. Es wird scho glei dumpa (It Soon Will
Be Dark) not only reveals its alpine origins in its regional patois lyrics but also
in the melodic twists and turns in broken thirds. The Italian Bimbo, bimbo, fai
la nanna (Baby, Baby, Go to Sleep) opens in gentle bell tones in triple meter to
rock the Son of God to sleep. With the “Gloria” of the angels, however, totally
different tones resound above the stable in Bethlehem: Hark! The Herald Angels
Sing! hails the new born child as Prince of Peace and the sun of righteousness. Today, the beloved English Christmas carol is generally performed in a
900507 booklet v5_- 13.09.13 18:19 Seite 6
choral setting that Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy composed in 1840 for a festive choral performance commemorating the Gutenberg Festival. The clear
structuring, an affirmative quadruple meter, and powerful note repetitions
give the piece the character of a festive royal hymn. The singing of French
angels, by contrast, sounds sprightly and joyful, as we can hear in Les anges
dans nos campagnes (Angels, We Have Heard on High) with its bright sound
and light gloria garlands. Wolfgang Buchenberg proves that merriment suits
the Christmas mood as much as idyll and candlelight with his arrangement
of O Freude über Freude! (O, Joy Beyond Joy!), especially written for this CD.
The high-spirited testimony of the shepherd about his experiences in Bethlehem is contrasted with old and new tunes and texts, the traditional art of
song accompaniment combines with contemporary techniques of choral
setting to form a magnificently colourful and lively composition.
The new Christmas CD by the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks under the
direction of Florian Helgath presents the varicoloured spectrum of Christmas
song with an abundance of diverse titles. François Leleux supplies some
short breaks between the vocal selections with the chorus and its soloists.
With his oboe, he enriches this recording with instrumental points of tranquility
and virtuosic accents. Like handsome bookends, the vastly ranging program
is bordered on both sides by the song Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen (Lo, How
a Rose E’er Blooming). Its text is rooted in the Old Testament Book of the
Prophet Isaiah, the melody goes back to the 16th century. The well-known
four-part chorale by Michael Praetorius, first published in 1609, opens the
recording, which then closes with the version by Jan Sandström from the
year 1990, which cloaks the (unaltered) setting by Praetorius is cloaked in a
hummed, gently refreshing cloud of sound. A magical interplay of light and
colour appears before the listener’s inner eye. Did the Lapland-born Sandström
perhaps draw his inspiration from the Northern Lights glowing colourfully in
the night sky, lights that are easiest to observe in his northern European
homeland “in the middle of the cold winter”?
The musicians we can hear on this CD came into the studio sometimes in
the Carnival season, and sometimes even in the hot midsummer to produce
this recording. Even though lack of appropriate prerequisites may have triggered many a wise crack, the magic of the music held the 44 singers in its
thrall, and even without a Christmas tree or holiday cookies, it provided just
the right mood for an enthusiastic interpretation.
Wherever and however you may be spending your Christmas season:
all of us involved in the creation of this CD wish you great joy with the music
and a very happy holiday!
Judith Kaufmann
English translation by Donald Arthur
Recording: Munich, Herkulessaal der Residenz, April 24–27, 2012 (tracks 01, 02, 10, 12, 13, 14, 22, 23), January 29
– February 02, 2013 / François Leleux: Bayerischer Rundfunk, Studio 1, June 16, 2013 (tracks 06, 11, 16, 20)
Recording Producer: Michael Kempff (tracks 01, 02, 10, 12, 13, 14, 22, 23), Torsten Schreier
Balance Engineer: Klemens Kamp · Producer: Susanne Vongries
Photos: Cover & p. 2: C bpk (Fra Angelico), p.5: C Heidrun Lipp, p.12: C Johannes Rodach
Design/Artwork: [ec:ko] communications
Editorial: Andrea Lauber. Label Management: Stefan Piendl, Arion Arts GmbH, Dreieich
A CD production of BRmedia Service GmbH. P+C 2013 BRmedia Service GmbH
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FLORIAN HELGATH
It was at the workshop of the second choral conducting forum in 2007 that Florian Helgath first
conducted the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks.
Since then he has worked time and again with this
ensemble. Florian Helgath’s musical career, however, began much earlier, namely as a singer of the
Regensburger Domspatzen in his home town. Later
he initially studied music education, then choral conducting at the Academy of Music and Theatre in
Munich. Florian Helgath received significant motivation from Michael Gläser and Simon Halsey, among
others. He came to the fore as a finalist and prize
winner at such conducting competitions as the 2006
Eric Ericson Award in Sweden and the 2007 Competition for Young Choral Conductors in Budapest.
Since 2008 Florian Helgath serves as Artistic
Director of the via nova chorus in Munich. Here, he
devotes his attentions to contemporary music and
has led a large number of new works in their world
premières. In addition he took over the direction of
the Danish Radio Chorus in 2010, and in 2011 he
was appointed Artistic Director of the ChorWerk
Ruhr. Beyond this he is a regular guest artist with
the RIAS Chamber Chorus, the Radio Chorus of
Berlin, the Netherlands Radio Chorus and the SWR
Vocal Ensemble in Stuttgart.
CHOR DES BAYERISCHEN RUNDFUNKS
The Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks was founded in 1946 as the first of Bavarian
Broadcasting’s musical ensembles. Starting in 1949, its artistic upswing ran parallel
to the development of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the
Chief Conductor of which has been Mariss Jansons since 2003. From the beginning
then both ensembles are linked in intensive concert activities.
In 2005 Peter Dijkstra was appointed the Artistic Director. An avowed “antispecialist” he has presented a wide variety of programs. These included a cappella
productions as well as collaborations with the two Bavarian Broadcasting orchestras as well as such period ensembles as the Concerto Köln and the Akademie für
Alte Musik in Berlin. Because of its special sound quality and stylistic versatility,
which ranges through every aspect of choral singing from the mediæval motet to
contemporary works, from oratorio to grand opera, the ensemble enjoys the highest
reputation throughout the world.
This has brought the chorus regularly to such eminent festivals as the Lucerne
Festival, the Salzburg Festival and the Beethoven Festival in Bonn, as well as to collaborations with top European orchestras like the Berlin Philharmonic, the Lucerne
Festival Orchestra and the Concertgebouworkest in Amsterdam. In the recent past,
the chorus has concertized with such distinguished conductors as Claudio Abbado,
Riccardo Chailly, Bernard Haitink, Daniel Harding, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Christian
Thielemann, Giovanni Antonini, Andris Nelsons, Riccardo Muti, Sir Simon Rattle,
Herbert Blomstedt and Robin Ticciati.
In the musica viva and Paradisi gloria series as well as in their own subscription
series, the choir regularly shines in world premières. The choir has received a
number of major prizes for its CD recordings, among them the 2012 ECHO Klassik
award for the recording of Fauré’s Requiem as well as a Diapason d’or for the a
cappella CD Strauss – Wagner – Mahler on the BR-KLASSIK label.
900507 booklet v5_- 13.09.13 18:19 Seite 10
ALSO AVAILABLE
CHOR DES BAYERISCHEN RUNDFUNKS
PETER DIJKSTRA
900902 4 CD
900502 2 DVD
Christmas Oratorio
and introduction
Bach: Magnificat
Live-Recording: Munich,
Herkulessaal der Residenz, Händel: Dixit Dominus
Concerto Köln
December 2010
“Magical!” SZ
www.br-klassik.de/label
900504
900507 booklet v5_- 13.09.13 18:19 Seite 12
900507
900507 inlay v5_- 12.09.13 11:45 Seite 1
01 Es ist ein Ros entsprungen
Lo! How a Rose E’er Blooming (Praetorius)
02 Machet die Tore weit
Throw Wide the Gates
03 Maria durch ein Dornwald ging
Mary Walked Through the Forest of Thornes
04 Adeste fideles
05 O du fröhliche O Sanctissima
06 J. S. Bach: Corrente from
Partita in A minor, BWV 1013
07 Stille Nacht Silent Night
08 Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier
I Stand Before Your Manger Here
09 Still, still, still
10 Es wird scho glei dumpa
It Soon Will Be Dark
11 G. Ph. Telemann: Fantasia No. 3
in B minor, TWV 40/4
12 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
13 O Little Town of Bethlehem
Total time 73:29
14 Bimbo, bimbo,
fai la nanna
Baby, Baby, Go to Sleep
15 Les anges dans nos campagnes
Angels We Have Heard on High
16 J. S. Bach: Sarabande from
Partita in A minor, BWV 1013
17 Tochter Zion, freue dich
Rejoice Greatly, o Daughter of Zion
18 A Hymn to the Virgin
19 O Freude über Freude!
O, Joy Beyond Joy!
20 G. Ph. Telemann: Fantasia No. 11
in G major, TWV 40/12
21 Ave maris stella
22 Lux aurumque
23 Es ist ein Ros entsprungen
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming (Sandström)
24 Bell Ringing
François Leleux oboe (T 06, 11, 16, 20)
BR-KLASSIK und BR-Chor are trademarks of Bayerischer Rundfunk.
A CD-production of BRmedia Service GmbH. LC 20232. Made in Austria.
PT 871 YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN BLACK
900507
900507
www.br-klassik.de/label
900507 P+C 2013 BRmedia Service GmbH. All trademarks and logos are protected.
900507 LINERCARD 138 x 118 x 6,5 OUTSIDE
HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks · Florian Helgath
HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks · Florian Helgath
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Florian Helgath
François Leleux · oboe